Two alleged dengue deaths to be investigated in Saint Lucia

St Lucia health officials Tuesday said they were reviewing two speculated dengue-related mortalities and requested to individuals to seek prompt medical attention if they show signs connected with the mosquito-borne virus.

In a declaration, the Ministry of Health and Wellness announced the people were seen and treated at the Owen King European Union Hospital, where they showed symptoms consistent with dengue fever.

It stated that all the samples were examined locally and also sent to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for authentication.

Furthermore, the health ministry noted in its statement that so far Saint Lucia has recorded the only one confirmed death due to the mosquito bite born virus, while two other deaths are being investigated by the authorities. Besides this, Saint Lucia has 540 confirmed dengue cases.

It announced that the typical age of the confirmed cases that have come up so far is 19 years, with an age range from three weeks to 84 years. The ministry claims to have the least confirmed dengue cases in the age group five to 14 years which account for approximately 38 per cent of the total affirmed cases.

The health authorities announced that 49 per cent of confirmed cases happened during August, with both serotypes two and three continuing to be in circulation.

They stated that while all health areas have recorded cases of dengue fever, the most distinguished pervasiveness remains to be reported in the north part of the island, with Castries, Gros Islet, and Babonneau considering for 34, 17 and eight per cent of cases respectively.